Arrangement for supplying energy to mining apparatus



Dec. 10, 1963 E. WENDT ETAL 3,113,763

ARRANGEMENT FOR SUPPLYING ENERGY T0 MINING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 27, 1960 ,OIZML:

Dec. 10, 1963 E. WENDT ETAL 3,113,763

ARRANGEMENT FOR SUPPLYING ENERGY T0 MINING APPARATUS N. Filed Dec. 27, 1960 s Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 3

INVEN TOR Dec. 10, 1963 E. WENDT ETAL 3,113,763

ARRANGEMENT FOR SUPPLYING ENERGY T0 MINING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 27, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR Dec. 10, 1963 E. WENDT ETAL 3,113,763

ARRANGEMENT FOR SUPPLYING ENERGY T0 MINING APPARATUS 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec. 2'7, 1960 7 Fig.9

IN VE N TOR Dec. 10, 1963 E. WENDT ETAL 3,113,763

ARRANGEMENT FOR SUPPLYING ENERGY T0 MINING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 2'7, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Fig/2 35 g: 63 54 l I] TI: 66b

INVENTOR 3,113,763 ARRANGEMENT F618 ElUPlPLYl'NG ENERGY T MENING APPARATUS Ewald Wentlt, Wilheln s r. 8, Lunch, Westphalia, Germany, and Walter Bast, Eamon, Westphalia, Germany; said East assignor to said Wcndt Dec. 27, 195i), Ser. No. 73,786 Claims priority, application Germany Dec. 31, 1959 14- Qlaims. (Cl. 26227) In past years it has been possible to develop etficient cutting or paring machines running at high speeds, for winning coal and other minerals. As a result it has been possible to increase considerably, for example, the output capacity of coal workings by using such coal cutters. However, the incidental work which these machines require and which necessitates repeated int rruption of the cutting or paring process, has a detrimental effect and reduces the output.

This work includes:

Reattachment of the hauling rope after each cutting operation which is determined by the length of the rope;

Interruption and reconnection of the energy supply;

Disconnection and reconnection of the water hose. when carrying out so-called wet cuttings, and which serves for preventing the development of dust;

Carrying along a safety rope in the working and a safety winch in the heading when mining at an inclination of more than 8.

It has been possible, however, to overcome these objections, but only to a partial extent. Thus, the change over of the energy supply connections is avoided by using a drag cable when cutting with electric machines, such electric drag cable being provided with a length corresponding to half the working face. One end of the drag cable is connected to a stationary feed line energy source located at the center of the working face, while the other or free end is connected to the driving means of the cutting machine and travels back and forth therewith along the working face.

The method of cutting with a drag cable is, however, only used to a limited extent when working at an inclination in longitudinal direction exceeding 20. 'ie drag length of the cable is preferably not more than 50 metres, because dragging such a long cable mequires too much energy and consequently the feeding speed and rate of movement or" the cutting machine is reduced. Drag lengths which are less than half the length of the face of the working require repeated changing over, which necessarily results in loss or tirne.

In the case of the drag cable method, the chief objection is the strong wear and eventual damage to the cable at the dragged parts by the coal transported in the breastor'working-face conveyor situated underneath the cutting machine, the cutting machine being positioned for travel above and along the conveyor. Such cable damage due to the dragging of the cable over the coal lumps being conveyed away is evident especially when dealing with rough lump material in the conveyor over wh'ch the cable length is dragged and when working with. attachment plates at the side of the conveyor remote from the mine face. In this connection, it will be appreciated that the coal is usually conveyed away more rapidly than the cable travels and in such arrangements the dragged length cannot be adequately protected.

To avoid these objections inherent to the usual cutting methods, the present invention discloses an apparatus for winning coal and other minerals by cutting, which is characterized in that the energy supply connections to the winning aggregate are guided over a reversing element capable of travelling along the working front and which Free 2 on its travel keeps the energy supply connections continually under constant tensile stress.

According to the invention tl e reversing element is constructed as a carriage or slide capable of travelling on the conveying means and provided with one or more guide pulleys around which the energy supply connections are guided and which is pulled by of a chain or a rope of hauling arrangement, such as a winch. The invention also covers a suitable arrangement of the attachment plates which is characterized in that it has a channel open at the top in which the energy supply connections are laid and from which they are lifted. If this is to take place automatically, the travelling reversing element is, an addition, equipped with guide parts such as straps and/or rollers which allow the energy supply connections to slide into the channel or lift them out therefrom.

in accordance with the invention, the attachment plates provided with a channel open at the top for receiving the energy supply connections, are so constructed that they have under this channel one or two passages for accommodating the cable necessary for the electrification of the face of the working and other supply conduits such as water and compressed air conduits and telephone lines.

According to the invention, the energy supply connections, such as electric cables and hoses for water, pressure oil or compressed air, serve at the same time as safety means for preventing the slipping oil of the cutting aggregate in the case of descents exceeding 3, in that trey are given a tensile strength greater than. that necessary merely for the energy supply connections and the mechanical stresses occurring in mining. This may be effected, for example by providing the energy supply connections, such as the electric cables and hoses. for water, etc., with strong wire insertions therealong to rein-force the same.

Contrary to the construction above described in which the cable carriage practically covers the conveyor so that no coarse lump coal can get in the region of the cable carriage, FIGS. 8 to 10 show a modified form of construction for the cable carriage. In this case the guide rollers for the cable and/or the hose are mounted on horizontal axles within a narrow frame. The frame is thereby supported by its narrow underside resting on the lateral profile of the double chain conveyor adjacent the rock face. In addition positive guiding of the cable carriage is provided on the upper edge of an attachment plate which limits the conveyor profile on the rear side.

According to another feature of the invention, the positive guide consists of a tubular rail section which is fixed on the upper edge of the attachment plate. Grippers fitted on the cable carriage and preferably adjustable in vertical direction embrace this tube guide so that they can transmit tensile and pressure forces.

In the last mentioned construction the cable run-0n and off plane is located above the upper edge of the plate so that the cable can run directly from the cable carriage into the cable storage passages provided in known n on this plate. It can easily be seen that by the arr ment according to the invention, the cables can likewise no longer come within the range of the conveyor and can consequently no longer be damaged by the scraper or material being conveyed. Naturally the cable and/or the energy supply connections, which at the same time transmit tensile forces, do not engage the cutting machine symmetrically but on the rock face side so that the cable is not even near the cutting machine in the region of the conveyor.

The positive guiding of the cable carriage on the upper edge of me attachment plate serves merely for taking up the tipping forces, whereas the whole weight is transmitted with very little friction to the conveyor profile through the intermediary of the rollers.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view showing a working with a cutting machine operating in front of the coal face;

FIG. 2 shows a portion of FIG. 1 on a larger scale;

FIG. 3 is a cross-section through the working;

FIG. 4 is a cross-section taken on line 4 4 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 5 is a top plan View of the reversing element for the current supply cable and the water hose;

FIG. 6 is a cross-section through the reversing pulley for the hose;

FIG. 7 shows in a cross-section corresponding to FIG. 3 but on a somewhat larger scale, a modified form of construction of the reversing element;

FIGS. 8, 9 and 10 show another modification in side elevation, top plan view and end view respectively, and

FIGS. 11 and 12 show the stretching winch with controlling device in side elevation and top plan View respectively.

The coal face is designated by 21, the packing by i s, the conveyor gallery by 23 and the headway by 24. Accommodated in the working 25 is the conveying device 26, in this case a double chain scraper conveyor with main drive 27 and auxiliary drive 28. The extracting device 29 runs on the conveyor and in this case is a cylindrical cutter loader, with cutting drum or cylinder 3d and clearing device 31. The electrical energy is fed to the extracting device 29 by an electric cable 32 and the water for settling the dust or cooling the driving motor by a hose 3'3. The travelling reversing element 34- consisting of a carriage or slide, is arranged on the conveyor 26 in front of the excavating device 29 and can run on the conveyor. It is connected with a pulling or hauling arrangement 37, in this case a hauling winch, by means of a hauling rope 35 and guide pulleys 36. Guide pulleys 3% and 39 are provided on the reversing element around which pulleys the energy supply connections 32 and 33 pass. These energy supply connections are held firmly on the conveying means 26 by means of a pull anchorage 40 attached to conveyor 26 at a point located in the middle or longitudinal center of the working face. The actual feed lines 32! and 33, correspondingly connected to cable 32 and hose 33, respectively, lead along conveyor 26 to the lower main gallery 23 where they are connected to the main cable 67 and main hose 6'8, respectively, situated in said gallery 23, A channel 41 open at the top is provided in the attachment plates 42- for accommodating or receiving loosely therein the energy supply connections, i.e. electric cable 32 and water hose 33, the attachment plate 42 at the side remote from the mine fa-ce defining an enlargement of the conveyor path representing an increase in the capacity of conveyor 26.

During the working pass from the conveyor gallery to the headway the reversing element 34 is pulled by the hauling winch 37 in front of the excavating device 2% so that the energy supply connections '32 and 33 are held constantly under the same tension both from their introduction into the excavating device up to the guide pulleys on the reversing element as Well as from here to the pull anchorage in the middle of the working face. According to the extent to which the strands of energy supply connections are shortened between the guide pulleys 38 and 39' and the excavating device, the strands between the guide pulleys and the pull anchorage 4:) will become longer. On this account the reversing element 34 must, as can be seen, run at half the speed of the excavating device. To attain this, the hauling winch 37 is provided with a known automatic controlling device which consists of rollers or pulley means operatively engaging hauling rope 35 under tension and connected with throttling or valve elements for controlling the compressed air feed energizing the hauling winch according to the tension of the rope exerted on the pulling means (see FIGS. 11 and 12 hereinafter more fully described). At the end of the excavating travel, the reversing element 34 connected to the other or free end of hauling rope 35 is directly in front of the excavating device 29 in the headway 24,.

During the return or clearing travel in the opposite direction the excavating device drags the reversing e'le ment behind it, whereby the energy supply connections remain constantly in stretched or taut state. At the end of the descent the excavating device is on the main drive whereas the reversing element has reached the middle of the working face.

If in the case of an inclination exceeding 8 there is a danger of the excavating device slipping off due to breakage of the safety rope (which is not shown in the drawing and not required by the authorities), this is pre vented by the ener y supply connections 32 and 33 which are given sufiicient tensile strength, as Well as by the hauling rope and the hauling winch. Contrary to the customary method therefore, a special safety device is not necessary. 7

From the conveyor belt gallery to the pull anchorage id in the middle of the working face the energy connec= tions 32 and 33 are laid in the open channel 4d of the attachment plate. From the middle of the working face to the headway they are deposited in this channel during the excavating travel and again removed therefrom during the return travel.

FIG. 3 is a section taken in transverse direction through the drift or working gallery. It shows in particular the construction of the attachment plate 42 which is peculiar to the invention. The channel open at the top for re= ceiving the energy supply connections 32 and 33 is designated by 41, Whereas passages 2-4 and 4 5 are provided thereunder for receiving additional conduits and cables.

' It is obvious that it is not necessary to leave a special passage clear between the abutment plate 42 according to the invention and the front side of the front prop 46. On the contrary, the front of the prop 46 can be directly against the plate 42 which forms part of the conveying means 26. Only the profile of the trough of the convoying means, designated by 26, is shown in the drawing. The caps are designated by 47, the rear prop by 4 8 and the advancing cylinder by 49.

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 show the reversing element 34 in a special construction. The carriage body 50 is formed of angle and U-section materials welded together, as shown in FIG. 4. 'lhereon a vertical post 51 is fixed which carries a bearing housing 52 in which the guide pulleys 88 and 39 are exchangeably mounted on hearing axles 53 and 54 (FIG. 5).

FIG. 6 is a section through the pulley 39. The iiiclined position of the guide pulleys 33 and 39 shown in FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 merely represents a special form of construction; the pulleys may however also be arranged horizontally in the middle of or even laterally on the car" riage body 50.

FIG. 7 is a section of an arrangement showing particularly that the strands of the energy supply connections to be deposited or removed are run so near the open channel 41 of the attachment plate 42 that they can be easily brought into the position most favourable for laying or depositing and picking up, possibly with the assistance of guide parts such as straps, rollers, slide rails or the like.

In FIG. 8 the conveyor profile is shown on which track rollers 55 run and carry the carriage 56. A cable carriage with two pulleys is shown by way of example, the larger pulley 57 serving for guiding or reversing the cable 32 and the smaller pulley 58 for guiding or reversing the hose 33. Rollers or cylinders 62 may be provided as guides. The holes 59 serve for connecting up the winch rope.

From the top plan view shown in FIG. 9 can be seen the engagement of the grippers as around the guide rail 61. fitted on the upper edge of the attachment plate. The track rollers 55 are crowned so as to afford better running on the sections of the conveyor partly covered with material to be conveyed.

FIG. again shows the guiding of the carriage 56 on the conveyor section 26 with the aid of rollers 55. The guide rail 61 around which the grippers 6t} engage is fixed on the attachment plate 42 which has in known manner a closed cable passage 45 for receiving auxiliary mine cables, conduits, and communication lines, i.e. not for the energy supply connections, and a cable passage d1 open in upward direction, i.e. for receiving such energy supply connections.

A hauling winch 37 with an automatic control or safety device 43 is shown in side elevation in FIG. 11 and in plan view in FIG. 12.. The hauling rope is thereby conducted over control pulleys 63 and 64', the pulley 64 being oscillatable about a pivot 65 and changes its position in relation to the pivot 65 according to the load acting on the hauling rope 35. The oscillatable pulley 64 is connected with a closing element of a control valve 66 which .controls the rate of compressed air feed to operate Winch 37. Valve 66 is operatively connected in series flow via conduit means 66a with the compressed air feed line 66b to regulate said feed through said line. Valve 66 opens as the pulling force of hauling rope 35 decreases and closes as such force increases so that the winch 37 receives correspondingly more or less compressed air. As a result, the pulling force remains substantially constant and the rope 55, reversing element 34, cable 32, and hose 33 will be maintained under the desired constant tension in any position of movement of cutting machine 29.

The device for cutting or paring the coal or other mineral according to the present invention ofiers considerable advantages over the methods hitherto known which allow the energy supply connections to be dragged by the cutting device. The dragged length is no longer limited but can run in a single pass along the entire face of the working even in the case of steep inclinations, and it is no longer necessary to change the position of the energy supply connections. Owing to the fact that the cutting device is relieved of the dragging work, the energy can be utilized entirely for the cutting so that it is possible to work at full speed. The damage which was often caused to the cables and hose during the dragging operation is eliminated. If the method of clearing is employed during the return travel, which is unavoidable when cutting with a cylinder or drum, the energy supply connections need not be laid three-fold in two loops and the reversing of the energy supply for the two directions of travel is no longer necessary. Doing away with a cable passage which was hitherto essential, enables the props to be set up directly against the conveying means so that the tirnbering is not reduced in width. An additional safety device, such as prescribed by the mining authorities, against the slipping off of the cutting device in the case of gradients of more than 8, is no longer necessary because the energy supply connections take over the safety functions through the intermediary of the reversing element and the hauling arrangement coordinated to it. Accommodating the energy supply connections in a trough or channel provided for the purpose on the attachment plate and the construction of the attachment plate with additional passages for other conductors, reduces very considerably the liability to failures of all these cables and hoses, saves space and enables higher output performances through doing away with all obstructions.

We claim:

1. Mining arrangement for cutting and extracting mineral from a mine face which comprises cutting means mounted for longitudinal movement in one direction and then in the opposite direction on a path back and forth along a mine face in extractive engagement therewith, conduit means extending along said path from a source for supplying power to said cutting means, and reversing element means mounted for longitudinal movement on said path, in said one direction ahead of said cutting means and in said opposite direction behind said cutting means, said conduit means being passed from said source through said reversing element means to said cutting means, and tension imparting means located ahead of said reversing element means in said one direction and connected to said reversing element means to maintain said reversing element means under constant tension in said one direction along said path to impart in turn constant tension to said conduit means in any position of movement of said cutting means.

2. Arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said path is defined by a conveyor for mineral extracted from the mine face, said cutting means and reversing element means being mounted thereon for sliding engagement therewith, said source being a stationary conduit means situated at the conveyor side remote from the mine face at about the center of amplitude of the extent of travel of said cutting means along the mine face, and said reversing element means being normally biased under constant tension in any position of movement thereof by a cable means connecting said tension imparting means to said reversing element means.

3. Arrangement according to claim 2 wherein said tension imparting means includes a winch means at one end of the mine face, said cable means extending between Said reversing element means and said winch means, said Winch means having drive means for driving said winch means for exerting a constant wind-up pull on said cable means to maintain said constant tension imparted to said conduit means.

4. Arrangement according to claim 3 wherein said win-ch means is provided with a displacea ble pulley means engaging said cable means and displaceable in one direction as the tension on said cable means caused by the wind-up pull of said winch means increases and in the opposite direction as said tension decreases, said pulley means being operatively connected to the power source regulator for the drive means of said winch means for increasing the wind-up pull when said tension decreases and for decreasing said wind-up pull when said tension increases.

5. Arrangement according to claim 2 wherein said cutting means is electrically operated and said conduit means includes an electric cable and a water hose is also provided from a stationary source through said reversing element means to said cutting means for minimizing dust formation at the cutting means.

6. Arrangement according to claim 5 wherein said reversing element means includes a pulley carriage having an electric cable pulley and a water hose pulley for guiding these said conduit means therethrough.

7. Arrangement according to claim 2 wherein said reversing element means includes a pulley arrangement for guiding said conduit means therethrough and said conveyor is provided with an open channel on the side thereof remote from the mine face, said channel being upwardly open for receiving therein the portion of said conduit means substantially between said reversing element means and said stationary source conduit means.

8. Arrangement according to claim 7 wherein said reversing element means is mounted for travel on said conveyor with the portion of the conduit means passing from said stationary source conduit means thereat being guided above said channel for lowering thereinto and lifting therefrom during travel of said reversing element means along said conveyor.

9. Arrangement according to claim 8 wherein at least one secondary channel is provided below said open channel for receiving auxiliary mine cables, conduits, and communication lines.

10. Arrangement according to claim 2 wherein said conduit means is reinforced for imparting greater tensile 7\ strength than is ordinarily necessary for power transmission and for withstanding the usual mechanical stresses which occur in mining operations, in order to serve as safety means against the undesired slipping of the cutting means in mining gradients exceeding about 8 degrees inclination with respect to the horizontal.

11. Arrangement according to claim 10 wherein said conduit means is reinforced by strong wire insertions therealong.

12. Arrangement according to claim 8 wherein said reversing element means includes a horizontal carriage means mounted for travel along said conveyor and a pulley means for said conduit means, said pulley'means being situated on an axis at an angle with the vertical, the lower portion of said pulley means being disposed directly adjacent said open channel for lowering thereinto and lifting therefrom said conduit means.

13. Arrangement according to claim 8 wherein said reversing element means includes a horizontal carriage ,means mounted for travel along said conveyor and a 20 8. pulley means for said conduit means, said pulley means being situated on a vertical axis, one side of said pulley means being disposed directly over said open channel for lowering thereinto and lifting therefrom said conduit means.

14. Arrangement according to claim 8 wherein said reversing element means includes a vertical carriage means mounted for travel on the side of said conveyor adjacent said open channel, said carriage means having tube engaging groove means and said conveyor having an upward extending, guiding tube therealong adjacent said open channel positioned for sliding engagement with said groove means to maintain said carriage means in vertical disposition, said carriage being provided with a pulley means for said conduit means, said pulley means being situated on a horizontal axis and positioned directly adjacent said open channel for lowering thereinto and lifting therefrom said conduit means.

No references cited. 

1. MINING ARRANGEMENT FOR CUTTING AND EXTRACTING MINERAL FROM A MINE FACE WHICH COMPRISES CUTTING MEANS MOUNTED FOR LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT IN ONE DIRECTION AND THEN IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION ON A PATH BACK AND FORTH ALONG A MINE FACE IN EXTRACTIVE ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH, CONDUIT MEANS EXTENDING ALONG SAID PATH FROM A SOURCE FOR SUPPLYING POWER TO SAID CUTTING MEANS, AND REVERSING ELEMENT MEANS MOUNTED FOR LONGITUDINAL MOVEMENT ON SAID PATH, IN SAID ONE DIRECTION AHEAD OF SAID CUTTING MEANS AND IN SAID OPPOSITE DIRECTION BEHIND SAID CUTTING MEANS, SAID CONDUIT MEANS BEING PASSED FROM SAID SOURCE THROUGH SAID REVERSING ELEMENT MEANS TO SAID CUTTING MEANS, AND TENSION IMPARTING MEANS LOCATED AHEAD OF SAID REVERSING ELEMENT MEANS IN SAID ONE DIRECTION AND CONNECTED TO SAID REVERSING ELEMENT MEANS TO MAINTAIN SAID REVERSING ELEMENT MEANS UNDER CONSTANT TENSION IN SAID ONE DIRECTION ALONG SAID PATH TO IMPART IN TURN CONSTANT TENSION TO SAID CONDUIT MEANS IN ANY POSITION OF MOVEMENT OF SAID CUTTING MEANS. 